


something else

by adykera



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, M/M, alphonse/mei, here's to me giving ed anxiety again, ling rides a skateboard!, subtly trans ed, winry/paninya, yes i am projecting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-13 22:16:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28660839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adykera/pseuds/adykera
Summary: Edward can feel his heart beating fast and hard in his chest. He presses a hand to it, desperate for it to calm. “Did you really think my face was red from being drunk?” he asks quickly into the blanket covering his face.There’s a soft silence for a moment. “Well, I don’t really know. It was either from being drunk, crying, or … something else, I guess," Ling replies.“Something else?”“Yeah. Something else.”
Relationships: Edward Elric/Ling Yao
Comments: 13
Kudos: 51





	something else

**Author's Note:**

> content warning: alcohol, sexual harassment (not intense)
> 
> for anyone who doesn't know, RA stands for resident assistant and helps out in the dorms!

Ed kicked his door open with a heavy boot and slid into his little one-bedroom apartment, eyes glued downwards to the book clinging to his fingers. Without looking up, he tossed down his perpetually tearing backpack – needless to say, busting full of whatever papers and books he was interested in at the time – and kicked his boots off in front of him, warranting a deep whine.

He looked up slowly, eyebrows furrowing, then let out a groan.

“Oh, Ed, please save me from this sea of despair,” Ling whined loudly, body completely upside down and draped from the back of the couch to the carpet, where his hair rested like a silky black puddle. He closed his eyes and let out another unintelligible groan at the lack of Edward’s response.

“How did you get _in_ here again, idiot?” Ed asked, eyes rolling. He set his book down neatly on the coffee table by Ling’s head, which Ling immediately took and threw at the window dramatically.

“I’m suffering, Edward! Look at me!” he shouted as Edward picked up his book and smacked it across Ling’s bare stomach.

“What’s wrong then? Get rejected? Xing banned you from coming home? Your daddy cut you off because you _never do any work_?”

Ling pulled himself upright ungracefully and blinked at him. “Why must you be so cruel to me? I am nothing but kind to you.”

Edward held back a smirk and sat down next to the other boy. “Sure, tell that to my empty refrigerator.”

“Can we talk about me now, smartass?”

“Fine. Go.”

Ling shoved his hand to his back pocket and ripped out a folded piece of paper before throwing it into Ed’s lap. “Look at this. I’m a failure.”

Ed’s eyes quickly crossed through the paper, scanning Ling’s thin, neat handwriting, then let out a snort. “You’re aware Shakespeare is not factual, right?”

“What are you talking about? He wrote about Julius Caesar.”

Ed shifted his body to face Ling directly. “Ling. Do you think _Romeo and Juliet_ was a historical event?”

Ling blinked. “I want to say yes, but I think you’re just going to laugh at me.”

As expected, Ed let out a loud laugh, his body tilting backwards. “Oh my god, Ling, please just get a tutor,” he laughed breathlessly, hand grasping Ling’s shoulder. “ _I’ll_ even help you with this shit, _please!_ ”

“Again, nothing but cruelty from you. I hate this stupid country and this stupid language,” Ling said with a forced scowl as he stood up and crossed into the bedroom.

“I’m not making fun of you, I swear,” Ed shouts, stifling more giggles. “It’s just – hey! Don’t eat that!”

“I’m eating your food or you’re taking me out as payback for being mean,” Ling replied, his hands about to rip open a bag of chips.

“Fine, whatever, just eat it.” Ed grabbed his bag from the floor and began to rifle around, shoving his arm elbow deep to gather a specific set of books. Ling sat on the table across from him and rested his face in his hands.

“Or…” he started slowly.

“Or…?”

“Go out with me tonight!” Ling cried happily. “Winry and Paninya are having a little _thing_ and I want you to come.”

Ed frowned. “Why didn’t they invite me?”

“Because you’re lame, Ed. You don’t go out.” Ling grabbed Ed’s arm and yanked him up, letting his backpack spill its contents out onto the floor. “You come with me and I’ll let you help me with stupid Shakespeare.”

“How is that a deal? Neither of those are fun for me and I have to study.”

Ling clapped his hands onto either side of Ed’s face, squishing his cheeks together. “You are a control freak and a nerd and would love to force me to get a good great grade on my assignments. Also, you need to get a life.” At Edward’s silence, he pressed more. “Am I wrong?”

“Whatever,” he said, voice distorted by Ling’s hands.

“I knew you had it in you, Edward! Now you have an hour to get dressed and before you ask, _yes_ , I am picking out your clothes for you because your taste is terrible. Al is coming and you have to be a good role model for him. And I have a feeling Winry will definitely be talking shit about you if you dress like a freak,” Ling said back in his normal sing-song voice.

Edward stayed still and looked Ling up and down for a moment. “Please tell me you’re going to put on a shirt.”

“Oh, you know you’d love it if I walked around like this all the time, Ed,” Ling teased with a wink. “But we Xingese are a civilized people, unlike you Amestrians who read nonsense fake history from dead old men.”

Ling disappeared back into Ed’s room, digging through his drawers and Ed turned his head, a stupid grin spreading across his face.

* * *

“Put these on. You can still look cool and edgy without those God-forsaken _pants_.”

Ling sat cross-legged on Edward’s bed and turned around as Ed changed into the simple light jeans Ling had forced into his hands a couple months back. He’d seen them while out in the city around their university, and the jeans were nothing special, but for whatever reason, they’d made him think of Edward. Edward in cute, cozy, _normal_ clothes and probably studying for some exam while Ling curled up on his couch and read over his shoulder or fell into a light sleep in the early evening.

Just a nice image Ling occasionally thought of, or maybe more often than he’d like to admit, that he’d taken one step to achieve now.

“Wait, I’m changing the top,” Ed said, digging in through his top dresser drawer.

“Edward, _please_ , just stick with the program –” Ling stopped suddenly at the crimson sweater Ed had pulled out with a triumphant smile.

“See, I knew you’d like it,” Ed smiled. “This works, right?”

Ling felt a rush of red travel to his cheeks. He unsuccessfully tried to smother a grin and nodded. “Yeah, for sure.”

Edward pulled off his old shirt and tossed it into Ling’s lap. Before he could look away, Ling’s eyes caught the deep scar running along his shoulder, one along his chest, then a few shallower ones etching into his stomach and arm. Before shoving the new sweater over his head, Ed caught Ling’s eyes and shrugged.

“Alchemy is a dangerous sport” is all he said, then buried his head in the fabric.

“You’re a mysterious kid, Edward,” Ling said, an eyebrow raised. “I never know what to expect from you.”

“I’ve gotta keep you on your toes. I don’t want you to get bored of me.” Ed smiled lightly then swiveled his head at the sound of the door opening.

“Alphonse! How could you not tell me Winry was having a party?” Ed instantly shouted at the new arrival.

When he got into the bedroom, Al threw his bag onto his bed across from Edward’s and put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Ed, you’re a loser. You don’t go to parties.”

“That’s what I said!” Ling announces proudly.

“Watch it!” Ed shouts back to Al. “I can still beat your ass!”

“You haven’t been able to beat me in a fight since I was _ten_ , brother,” Al retorted.

Ling looked at Ed with wide eyes and a smile. “Very snippy today!”

“Ling, take one of my shirts and let’s go.” Ed stuck his tongue out at Al and dragged Ling out of the room, who was still struggling to fit a black sweater over his head.

They tumbled down the stairs together and got all the way to the apartment’s entrance when Ed finally looked down and noticed his hand still wrapped around Ling’s. He immediately let go and Ling reeled back, laughing.

“Shut up. I’m already freaked out,” Ed mutters, tossing the door open and avoiding the gaze of his friend.

“I didn’t even say anything!”

Ling grabs his beaten up skateboard he’d left by the building door and instantly begins to glide down the slight hill towards Winry’s dorm just a couple blocks away. Edward runs after, braided hair whipping back and forth as he chases after, smile pressed against his face.

Looking back and seeing Ed’s form racing up to him, Ling smiles and pushes against the concrete once more, sending him hurtling further down the hill.

“Wait up, asshole!”

“You need the exercise, you shrimp!” Ling yells back, laugh caught in the wind.

When they get to the building, Ling only has to wait a moment before Ed catches up, and he’s pounced on by the door by an unstopping Edward. He jumps on top of Ling, knocking him over into the grass, and lands soft punches on his chest.

“Get off of me, twig!”

“I’m going to break that stupid skateboard in half, you fucking loser!”

Ed rolls off of him and lets out a laugh. He yanks at the neck of his sweater and breathes out heavily, smile still stuck to his face.

“Now I’m going to look sweaty and gross,” he pants.

Ling pulls out his ponytail and reties it at the back of his neck. “You’re always sweaty and gross.”

Ling goes up to the door and bangs at it a few times, purposely making eye contact with the RAs sitting at the desk inside. They shrug at him silently, then look away.

“Call Winry. I’m going to keep banging.”

Ed whips out his old brick of a phone and dials her number by hand. He cringes away from the RAs’ scathing looks and ducks around the corner as Winry picks up.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Hey, Ling is pounding on the door and someone is going to kill him if you don’t open the door for us soon,” he says loudly over the incessant banging.

“Jesus fucking Christ, that’s him? I can hear him from up here. Hold on, I’ll be there in a sec.”

Ed shoves his phone back in his pocket and grabs the back of Ling’s sweater. “Stop knocking, dumbass! She’s coming!”

When Winry comes tumbling down the stairs less than a minute later, Ling instantly stops and flashes her a smile. She rolls her eyes and hesitantly pushes open the door for them.

“God, you’re annoying, you know that?”

Ling wraps an arm around Winry’s shoulder. “You still love me though.”

At another cold look from the RAs, Winry grimaces. “I don’t actually know them. Sorry.”

They ignore her and the three fly up the stairs together.

Edward looks around curiously when they reach her floor, taking note of the stickers on the front of some doors, then the nakedness of others, then whiteboards graffitied with expletives on more. When they get to Winry and Paninya’s door, he has to tear his eyes away from the drawings of little robot dogs taped to the front door. Multiple engineering majors in one room – even he couldn’t deal with living with them for more than a day or two.

Winry snaps at him, drawing his attention back to her. “Listen. I have acquaintances in there and I desperately need more friends, so you have to be relatively _normal_ so that can happen. I’m looking at _both of you_.” She looks hard at Ling, then Edward. “Neither of you better get drunk enough to vomit in my toilet. It’s my week to clean and I really don’t feel like cleaning that up.”

She looks back at Edward, softer. “Also, sorry, Ed. I didn’t mean to leave you out or anything, I just figured you wouldn’t be about it or anything.”

He shrugs. “That’s fair.”

“Okay, now, _be good_.”

She opens the door and the two stride in, Edward much slower and more awkward than the other. His eyes flick around the large room, one of the dorms with two sets of bedrooms with a common area in the middle. He follows Ling to the couch after he sets his skateboard down in the corner and slides onto the arm. Ling instantly starts chatting with the others who had come a bit earlier than the rest and Ed watches him with an admiring gaze. Despite being the only non-STEM major in the room with a major in International Relations, Ling mixes perfectly into their conversations about things like physics classes and labs. Music plays softly in the background, and Ed allows himself to relax a bit. Unlike the movies, with searing neon lights coming out of seemingly nowhere and loads of alcohol and music loud enough to deafen, this was calm. Ling poured Ed and himself a cup of vodka and orange juice, which he sipped quietly, listening to the rest talk about exams and professors and various other aggressively normal things for a few minutes.

Winry glides over to his side and rests an arm on his shoulders. “Do you know if Al is still coming?” she asks quietly.

He looks up and nods. “Yeah, he seemed like he was coming. Why?”

She leans in closer and smiles. “Don’t tell anyone but this chick named Mei coming later has a crush on him. And they’d be super cute together, so I need it to happen.”

Ed pulls back and groans. “Gross, Winry. Leave him alone.”

“I will not be doing that, but thanks for the advice.” She runs off before Ed can argue with her, then he glares at her from across the room. She smiles politely back.

After Ling and Ed had gone through their first cup and refilled, Paninya turns up the music and kicks the table in the middle of the floor against the far wall. She instantly grabs Winry by the hand and pulls them close together, spinning around with the music. A few others get up to begin moving around and Ed finds himself shrinking back on the arm of the couch, placing a hand on Ling’s shoulder for support.

“You good?” Ling asks quietly.

Ed wipes his face of any kind of look he had to have been making to make Ling ask and smiles lightly. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Ling gets up, resting his cup on the floor, and makes his way over to the tiny crowd, slowing moving his hips with the music. Ed settles down into his spot on the couch and tucks his knees up to his chest, watching the others talk and move. His head swivels as Alphonse finally arrives, another girl, microscopic against Al’s tall form, at his side. They smile at each other as he props the door open for her, then Al glides over to Ed, throwing himself down on the couch as the girl goes over to greet Winry and Paninya.

Ed smacks his arm. “Why were you so late, huh? Making out with that girl?” he teases.

“Shut up,” Al smiles, looking down. “I was not. She just held the door for me when we were going in the building and we were going the same place.”

“That’s how all relationships start, Al.”

He rolls his eyes, then gets up slowly. “You want anything?” he asks, nodding at the alcohol bottles by the door.

Ed blinks, already feeling it a bit behind his eyes. “Yeah, sure.”

He sips at his new drink slowly, trying to pay attention to the music rather than the bodies around him or the chatter of people. He makes eye contact for just a moment with Ling then looks away, suddenly filled with the strong desire to get out of here. He stands up, still unsure of what his plans, and is grabbed at the waist by Winry and yanked into the little crowd.

The music is much louder over here and Ed is suddenly very conscious of every movement his body makes or doesn’t make. He moves slowly around with Winry, who dances with her whole body, from the tips of her fingers above her head down to her hips and feet. She grabs Ed’s hand and pulls him into a twirl, getting a tight burst of laughter to come out of his throat.

“There we go, Edward.” She takes both of his hands and sways them to the beat of the music. “I want you to have fun and dance! You’re allowed to do that!” Before he can open his mouth to respond, she leans in close and whispers loudly. “Also, did you see who Al came in with? It’s _Mei_.”

Ed groans, but allows her to keep moving his arms around. “You better not do anything.”

“I wasn’t going to _do_ anything anyway, I just wanted them to meet. But look, it seems like it’s going well though.” She tilts her head to the side and glances at Al and Mei sitting together on the table at the wall, seemingly deep in conversation about something exciting. Ed smiles a little and looks back at Winry.

“I guess so.”

“ _Yeah_ , you guess so. I was right,” she says with a laugh. “I’m actually the matchmaker of this friend group.”

Ed raises his eyebrows. “Well you haven’t done a very good job with me then, huh?”

Winry raises her arm again for another twirl. “Yeah right, idiot. You clearly already have a match.”

“What? Who?”

She clucks her tongue at him. “I’m going back to my girlfriend now. Go have fun.”

“Wait, I –” Ling suddenly comes up behind him, grabbing a hand and twirling him around to face him. Ed looks anxiously at Winry over his shoulder, then faces Ling again. “Winry is so cryptic sometimes, isn’t she?”

Ling moves his head around with the music and smiles. “I don’t think so at all. She’s one of the most straight forward people I know.”

Edward lets out a breath and presses a hand to his forehead, feeling the slight dizziness come over him. “I think I’m going to sit down now.”

Ling frowns and lets go of his hand. “Okay, I’ll probably want a break in a few minutes.”

Ed nods and settles back into his seat. A few more people have joined, one being the scowling RA from earlier. Ed leans back and picks up his drink, trying not to feel the deep vibrations of anxiety flowing up and down his body. He frowns and quickly drinks the rest of his cup, then goes for another. If anything should calm him down, it should be alcohol. Besides, aside from the feeling behind his eyes, he isn’t feeling anything yet. It can’t hurt to try.

A boy he doesn’t recognize comes up to him a minute or two later, clearly already tipsy. He talks at Ed about his life, about the party, about Winry and Paninya. As he listens, mostly silent, Ed begins to feel the vodka seeping in, blurring his nerves into lighter, more manageable feeling. He listens to the boy talk, then the rising and falling sound of music, and the chatter of mostly unfamiliar voices. He blinks heavily at the boy, who smiles and suddenly stops talking.

“Sorry, I’ve been rambling. What’re you doing here? I haven’t seen you before.”

“Mmm, friend of Winry’s. Grew up together,” Ed replies slowly.

“Ed, yeah? Haven’t heard her talk about you,” he replies, head tilting to the side lazily.

Ed shrugs. “She’s got a lot of friends now, I think. This isn’t my kind of scene, so I don’t really meet many of them.”

The boy blinks and smiles widely again. He leans over against Ed’s body pressing a hand over his shoulder and onto the wall behind him, his face just inches from Ed’s. Ed leans back instinctively, eyes wide.

“What is your scene then?” he asks slowly.

Ed’s breath stops in his throat for a moment. He looks wildly over the boy’s shoulder to meet someone’s gaze, to find Ling, but no one looks at him. He pushes back against the boy’s shoulders, then scrambles to his feet, sliding out the door immediately.

Out in the hallway, he can still hear the music, but much more muted than he’d expect. Still, panic continues to prick at his skin. He quickly scans the area, finding nothing but dorm rooms and what seems to be a study room at the end of the hall. He rushes over, silently praying for it to be empty, then throws himself in after seeing the lack of light coming through the small window.

He gets his small frame into the corner, pressed between the wall and the side of a couch, then lets out a shaky breath. He closes his eyes, the panic still rising like waves in his chest, then gathering in his lungs, making his breathing hard and rapid. Tears hang at his lashes, threatening to roll down his cheeks.

Guilt aches in his stomach. He hopes desperately that no one he cared about saw him leave and would worry about him. He is _fine_ , this is just something that happens. Totally fine, he tells himself as the tears gather and drip down from the side of his face to the corners of his lips.

He hears the door creak open and Ed presses himself further into the corner, starting to stutter through apologies, asking for a second, when he’s interrupted by a familiar voice.

“Hey, it’s me, it’s fine.”

Ed breathes out, silence heavy in the dark room.

“Do you want the lights on?” Ling asks quietly.

“No,” Ed croaks out, cringing at his own voice.

“Can I come over?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Edward buries his face in his hands as Ling comes over and sits by him, embarrassment making the tears in his eyes flow even heavier. Ling wraps a hand gently around Ed’s ankle and breathes out slowly. “I’m sorry, Ed.”

“ _Mmm_.”

“Can I do anything?”

Ed takes his hands from his eyes and looks into Ling’s eyes with his own tear-filled ones. He puts his hand out silently and Ling takes it. They sit like this for several minutes until the tight feeling of anxiety and heavy panic leaves his body, leaving him feeling particularly empty, though still dizzy with the buzz of alcohol.

He looks up, taking his hand back from Ling’s and wipes his face with it, laughing awkwardly. “Sorry about that!” he laughs with a cracking voice.

“You’re fine.” Ling raises his eyebrows questioningly, making Edward slightly nervous from his unfamiliar seriousness. “What happened?”

Wiping at his face again, Ed replies, “I don’t know. Too much noise. Then this fucking _guy_ was hitting on me or something and –”

“Wait, who?” Ling sits up straighter, eyebrows furrowed. “I’ll beat his ass. What did he say?”

“He didn’t really _say_ anything –”

“Oh my god! I’m going to murder someone tonight!”

Ed grabs Ling’s hands and looks him hard in the eye. “Not tonight, please. You can murder someone tomorrow.” Ling nods and they rest in the eye contact for a few seconds more. Ed feels heat rise to his face, then suddenly wraps his arms around Ling’s neck, burying his face there. Ling wraps his hands around his back and closes his eyes.

“For real. I’m sorry, Ed. I shouldn’t have made you come.”

“You didn’t make me. I agreed because I wanted to be around you.”

Ling slowly pulls his head up and meets Edward’s gaze. “Really?”

Ed looks away, his face hot yet again. “Whatever.”

“God, you’re so red I can see it in the dark! Are you drunk?” Ling laughs.

“Shut up!”

Ling pulls him up by the hands and rests his arm on his shoulders. The pair truck on down the hallway, then stumble tiredly down the stairs. Ling holds the door for Ed at the bottom and smiles. “How much did you actually have?”

Ed squints in the bright florescent lighting. “Two? Three? Two… and a half drinks, I think. Not a lot.”

“Two and a half of what?”

“Vodka.”

“Ah. Smart.”

As they walk out into the cold night air, cooling the red of Ed’s cheeks, he can’t help but wonder if Ling really is stupid enough to think his face was actually red from the alcohol. Was that a joke or not? He lifts up his face to ask, then stops himself suddenly.

“What?” Ling asks.

“Nothing.”

They walk up the hill in comfortable silence, Edward more preoccupied with how exactly this hill has managed to become so much steeper over the course of such a short amount of time than making conversation with Ling. Ling, however, is thinking hard about who that guy could have been that was hitting on Edward. He hadn’t even seen him talk to anyone besides himself, Winry, and Paninya. What kind of creep goes and bothers a completely random guy?

Ling is still lost in thought when they reach the door of his building. He wakes up from his thoughts abruptly and watched Edward struggle to get his card to open the door.

“I guess I should go,” Ling says quietly, taking a step back. “I don’t want to bother you.”

Edward turns back and looks at him accusingly. “What? Come inside.”

“Are you sure?”

“ _Yes,_ and open this stupid door for me too.”

When they get into his apartment, Ed instantly strips, throwing his clothes onto the floor of their tiny common area with the brothers’ two other roommates. Ling looks away quickly, eyes wide.

Ed throws on a pair of old sweatpants then chucks another at Ling. “Here, put these on.”

Once he’s finished changing his bottom half, Ling peeks inside Ed’s dark room. He notices for the first time it smells distinctly like Ed, that Ed has his own scent in the first place, like pine needles and old paper. He’s already tucked into the corner of his bed, his large comforter making him look particularly small. He picks up the corner of the blanket, gesturing for Ling to get in.

Ling climbs in slowly, then tucks his arms up to his chest, blinking at Edward’s half hidden face. Both have untied their hair, leaving it to touch just a little in the space between them. Ling closes his eyes.

A minute or so later he opens them again to find Ed’s eyes still open, which had been gently scanning his face, counting the tiny light freckles along Ling’s cheekbones. Something in him was certainly still buzzing despite his fatigue, and then even more so when Ling had found him watching him.

“What’s wrong?” Ling asks sleepily. Instead of making him buzz with energy like Ed, the drinks had made him much slower, tired. His blinks are heavy.

“Did you, uh, think – ” Ed stops himself and yanks the blanket over his face. “Nevermind.”

He feels Ling’s touch on his shoulder. “Tell me,” he sings. “I’m listening.”

He can feel his heart beating fast and hard in his chest. He presses a hand to it, desperate for it to calm. “Did you really think my face was red from being drunk?” he asks quickly into the blanket.

There’s a soft silence for a moment. “Well, I don’t really know. It was either from being drunk, crying, or … something else, I guess.”

“Something else?”

“Yeah. Something else.”

Ed pulls the blanket away from his face. “What if it was because I really wanted to kiss you?” he blurts out, brows drawn together into a look of fierce effort. His cheeks are red again, either with effort or something else. “What would you think?”

Ling blinks, then feels the heat rising up his neck. “I would think that’s good. I think I would like that a lot.”

The pair stare at each other, just about a foot from each other’s faces. Ed inhales. “What if I wanted to kiss you now?”

“I’d say I think you’re drunk.”

Ed frowns. “I’m not drunk. Are you?”

“No.”

“Should I not have said that?” he asks, pulling up the blanket below his eyes again.

Ling grabs one of his hands and squeezes it tight. “No, I’ve wanted you to say that forever. I just don’t want you to wake up in the morning and forget it. Or regret it.”

“I want to kiss you in the morning.”

“That sounds amazing.”

“I want to kiss you the next day too.”

“Even better.”

“I…” he starts, stifling a yawn despite his ever-present nerves. “I want to kiss you next month.”

“Jesus, Ed, I’m going to start thinking you have a crush on me,” Ling laughs tiredly.

“Don’t tell anyone.” He closes his eyes, a hand still wrapped in Ling’s. “In the morning?”

“Yeah, in the morning.”

* * *

In the morning, however, there are exactly two things on Edward’s mind when he wakes up. The first being his roaring headache, and the second being Ling’s arm draped across his bare chest. He looks over hesitantly to see Ling still passed out, face shoved half into a pillow and half into the corner of Ed’s shoulder. He lies dead still, afraid to move. Would Ling be embarrassed when he wakes up? Should he move him? Oh God, what if Alphonse comes in? He’d never hear the end of it. Speaking of, where _is_ Al?

Before he can spiral into the multitude of options and questions, Ling slowly awakes, pulling his face out of Ed’s shoulder and drawing his hand across Ed’s stomach and up into a cat-like stretch. He yawns loudly and sits up with a heavy sigh. He looks down to find Ed staring back up at him, nearly terrified.

“My head fucking hurts, you got anything?” Ling asks lazily.

“Uh, yeah. Check the cabinet behind the mirror.”

“Cool.”

As Ling tumbles down from the bed, Ed sits up, dizzy and aggressively sober. That was definitely one of the least fun things he’d done all through college so far, but he still couldn’t regret it. Maybe he should, but he doesn’t.

There’s a long list of things the pair could and should be doing for their classes today, but neither have any motivation whatsoever for any type of task that takes effort. It takes all of his willpower for Ed to leave his bed to throw on a sweatshirt and take one of the pills in Ling’s hand. Before he can climb back into his covers, Ling stops him.

“You wanna get food?”

Ed turns around achingly. He absolutely does not want to. “Sure.”

They walk slowly to the cafeteria in the middle of campus, hands in coat pockets and heads turned downwards against the chilly wind. After grabbing their food – Ling with two filled plates - they sit down together at the closest table. Ed instantly digs in, desperately needing something to fill his mouth before he starts to freak out about his lack of knowing what to say. Or worse, saying something stupid.

For the first hour of his morning after waking up, Ling tends to have absolutely nothing in his mind, still half asleep, doing his best to make his legs move in the directions of class or breakfast. Today though, his mind is reeling, mixing uncomfortably with the headache, though already slightly better than how it was when they’d first gotten out of bed. He unconsciously grabs the apple sitting by the side of Ed’s plate and bites in loudly, head tilted to the side, lost in thought.

There’s an anxious pulsing in his stomach this morning and nothing else he can even attempt to think about besides last night. Of course, he wanted to be with Ed. He wanted him to like him back desperately. Still, half of him wishes that Ed had truly been drunk and forgotten last night. To say something like that and forget it is one thing, but to say it and remember, then regret is another one, entirely more painful. But, he thinks, looking back at Ed finally, with that stupid look on his face, he hasn’t forgotten. Being there through all of Edward’s nearly nervous breakdowns prior to finals last semester had shown him _exactly_ what the boy looks like when he’s anxious, and this was definitely the same face. A similar one at least. And, _God_ , can he eat when he’s nervous. Ling isn’t exactly a slow eater, but he’s only finished half a plate when Ed’s finished his breakfast.

Ed looks up, suddenly aware he’s out of distraction. The nervous energy radiating off of him is so extreme it makes Ling laugh.

He claps a hand to his mouth to stifle the sudden burst. “You’re a fool, Ed.”

Ed’s eyes widen. “What? Why?”

Ling rolls his eyes and smiles at him. “You just are,” he says through another bite of apple in his mouth.

Ed smiles genuinely for the first time today, his eyebrows turning down into an evil little look, as he tends to do. “At least I know Shakespeare wasn’t a historian.”

“Oh my god! I’ve been awake for fifteen minutes and you’re already harassing me! Can you please be kind for once?”

Ed takes his apple back and bites it viciously. “If you stop stealing my shit, I’ll consider it.”

Ling smiles and lets his nerves calm. Maybe he _had_ forgotten and something else was on his mind. It’s incredibly hard to ever know what’s going on in this kid’s head. Knowing Edward as well as he does, it’s still difficult to decipher what the hell he’s _talking_ about half the time, let alone what he’s _thinking._

“Oh, hey,” Ed starts slowly, interrupting his thoughts.

_Oh, no. Oh, God, no. Why did I say I liked him back? Fuck, fuck, fu-_

“Can we talk about – “

“Edward, what the fuck? Why did you leave?” Winry suddenly shouts, appearing at his side and dropping her plate heavily down on the table. “Did you get sick?”

Ed looks up, clearly surprised, and blinks. “Uh, yeah. I mean, no, I got tipsy I think and went home.”

“How the hell did you get drunk? You were there for, like, half an hour,” she continues accusingly as Paninya comes up behind Ling and sits down next to him.

“I wasn’t drunk.” He looks at Ling pointedly for a moment, then back. “Just didn’t feel good.”

Ling feels his face grow hot as Winry is eventually pacified and takes her seat next to Ed. Paninya chatters on about the party, telling how _fun_ and _cool_ it was and how they should _totally do it again_ _soon!_

“Except,” she continues, twisting her mouth into a sideways kind-of-frown, “this one dude was a fucking creep and I had to kick him out. Was he your friend from class, Win?”

Winry frowns. “He just lives on the floor.”

Edward looks down, twisting his fork between his fingers. Ling stares at him but can’t get him to bring his eyes up.

After talking for a few more minutes, Ling gets up, Ed instantly following.

“See you around.”

“See ya!”

Once outside again, Ling looks down at Ed, who has his eyes glued to the cement, eyebrows still pulled in with thought. He grabs his hand and squeezes it for a second before dropping it again, making Ed look up.

“Are you okay?” Ling asks, eyebrows raised.

“Yeah,” he sighs, bringing his arms up in a stretch. “Just kind of embarrassed.” At Ling’s frown, he tumbles forward. “No, I mean- that’s not- I mean, I meant me freaking out. Not. Anything else. I don’t tend to, uh, say things I don’t mean, I guess.”

He visibly cringes and it takes everything in him for Ling not to giggle. The _nerves_ in this kid. He could take anyone in an argument and win, and could scream like a fucking banshee when he wanted to, but God forbid he actually tells someone how he feels. Ling’s chest feels a little warmer thinking about the effort it took for him to tell him that last night, even if he was a little tipsy. Had he ever confessed to anyone before? There are so many questions, so many little curiosities to him that he wants to ask about, wants to know.

And for Edward, it’s the same. There’s something so clearly special about Ling, about the way he laughs so royally and loudly at anything, the way his eyes are so deep and brown and loving, the way he always walks as if there’s something exciting to be done. Edward takes Ling’s hand slowly, needling his fingers into his palm, then between the fingers.

“I hope you mean what you say too,” Ed says, staring straight forward as they walk along. Ling smiles widely, finally managing to get Ed’s eye contact when they reach the door of the building.

Ling squeezes his hand then lets go. He grabs Ed’s shoulders. “I mean what I say. Even after tequila and a _little_ bit of vodka and when I’m half asleep in your bed. Okay?”

Ed nods, face plain at first, then erupting into a funny smile. He bows his head and turns away, unlocking the door.

“Come in?”

“Yeah, of course.”

Ed runs up the stairs and doesn’t stop until he reaches the room to his dorm, Ling trailing behind. As he opens the door, he grabs Ling’s hand and tosses the two of them inside with a laugh. He slams the door shut and looks up expectantly, blinking.

“You look like a fucking cat,” Ling laughs.

“I have to tell you something,” Ed blurts out, ignoring the last comment. “Let the record show I am _aggressively_ sober.”

“Yeah? I’m ready.”

He lets a breath out. “I… I actually, uh, have … something to tell you.”

Ling raises his eyebrows and smiles. “Are you going to tell me?”

“Give me a minute, damn it.” He takes another hard breath in, then lets it out again. “Ling.”

“Yes?”

“I … I would like to kiss you. For real. All the time.”

“Like… platonically?”

“Oh my god, I take it back,” Ed moans, dropping his face into his hands. “I change my mind, I don’t like you anymore.”

“Edward.” He looks up with a death glare. “Don’t look at me like that! I’m trying to be serious now, look.” Ling clears his throat dramatically. “Edward. I like you a lot. I’ve liked you since I found you freshman year hogging the entire fucking table in the library with your stupid science shit. I liked you when you got sick and threw up on my floor and I liked you even when you fucked up my skateboard for no reason.”

“I was making it faster – ”

“ _And_ ,” Ling interrupts, “I liked you when you helped me pass biology and I like you when you fall asleep on my bedroom floor and … and when you bring me food when I’m sad even though it’s no fun to be around. I like you when you wear those pants I gave you too. I like you so much.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, for real.”

Ed’s ears turn bright red. “I like you too,” he replies quietly.

Ling smiles broadly, body ringing with excitement. “Did you still want to kiss me?”

Ed smiles. He responds by sliding a hand under Ling’s jawline and pressing his lips firmly to his mouth. He can feel Ling’s smile under his lips and smiles back in response. When he pulls away, Ling leans forward this time and kisses him back, slow and gentle. Ed wraps his arms around Ling’s neck, then pulls away to give another on his cheek, then his forehead, his neck.

“I like you,” Ed says again, even softer this time.

“I like you too.”

He laughs nervously and releases his arms from around Ling. “What now then?”

Ling slides down the wall into a crouch, looking up with a light smile. A different smile from his normally mischievous one. “I don’t know. Let’s do something. I’m sure as hell not doing work today. I’m not going to be able to think about anything besides you for at least a week.”

Before Ed can respond, the door to his bedroom opens and Alphonse comes out, head turned and talking to a figure behind him. He stops suddenly at Ed and Ling sitting by the door, Mei coming up behind him. She smiles politely and pulls a little nervously at her braids.

“Oh, uh, Mei, this is my brother, Ed, and Ling. This is Mei; she was looking at a project for me,” he says almost suspiciously.

“Hey, Al, we don’t need an explanation, you do you.” He winks and Al walks past him, managing to kick him in the leg as he does so. The pair listen nosily behind the door to Al and Mei, ears pressed to the wood.

“Thanks for showing me,” Mei says, voice muffled from the door separating them.

“Yeah, I’m really glad you liked it,” he replies with a nervous laugh. “Thanks for letting me stay over last night.”

There’s a silence and the two press their ears firmer to the door.

“Here, I wrote down my number for you. We should hang out again,” Mei added slowly in her sweet voice. “If you wanted to.”

Ed leans away. “This is gross.”

“I can’t listen to this anymore.”

When Al gets back to the dorm, after eventually taking Mei down to the main door, he lets out a heavy breath and sits on the coffee table across from the others.

“That was nerve-wracking,” he says.

“What happened?”

Al leans his chin in his hand exhaustedly. “So we were talking and she started telling me about this project she was working on – she’s an Art History major – so she offered to go show me, so we walked over to her dorm after the party and we talked about art for a long while. Then, it got so late and her apartment is kind of far away, so…” He shrugs. “I stayed on her couch. She wanted me to show her the thing I’ve been working on for that comp sci class so I showed her this morning after eating.”

“Wow, Al, I’m impressed. That’s a long first date,” Ling sings.

“It wasn’t a date!”

“It feels like a date,” Ed pitches in.

“You guys are too awake and annoying this morning. I’m going back to bed,” Al groans, heading off into the room again.

Ed looks back at Ling after the door slams shut. “So what now?”

“Go to my place and watch a movie and nap? I’ll let you kiss me again if you let me pick the movie.”

“Sounds good,” Ed replies, standing up, then pulling Ling after. “I’m not watching another fucking Nicholas Sparks movie though.”

“You’re so _lame_ , Ed, do you know that?”

“You can’t say that anymore. I know it’s a lie.”

“I can have a crush on you and still think you’re lame.”

“I don’t think it works like that.”

“Pretty sure it does.”

When they get outside, Ling instantly sprints off down the road, coat flapping behind him. Ed instantly tumbles after.

“Hold up!”

“You know,” Ling shouts behind him as he runs along. “I never thought I’d have a boyfriend shorter than me! Your short-ass legs help me win races though, so thanks!”

“Oh, fuck you!”

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! feel free to tell me what you think in the comments, i'd appreciate it! (also finishing a cutesy thing with "fuck you!" feels pretty good.)


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